News / Helping GB Work Well

Provisional figures released on work-related fatalities in Great Britain indicate that 144 people were killed at work during 2015/2016.

Although this is slightly higher than the previous year's, the long term trend has seen fatalities more than halve over the past 20 years.

Fatal injuries in key sectors were shown to be as follows:

43 workers died in construction which is the same as the average for the previous 5 years

27 deaths in agriculture, compared to the 5 year average of 32

27 deaths in manufacturing, compared to a 5 year average of 22 (this includes 3 incidents which resulted in 8 deaths)

6 fatalities to workers in waste and recycling, compared to a 5 year average of 7. This number is subject to considerable yearly fluctuation.

The figures confirm that the UK is still one of the safest places to work in Europe and has one of the lowest rates of fatal injuries to workers in leading industrial nations.

Calling on all sectors to learn lessons to ensure all workers go home safely from work, Martin Temple, HSE Chair said: “Britain has one of the best health and safety systems in the world, but we should always be looking to improve and to prevent incidents that cost lives.”

“This year the HSE travelled the country asking industry representatives, employers, unions, workers and others what they could do to help GB work well. The response was hugely encouraging and I would like to ask people to deliver on the commitments made, that will help keep Britain’s workers alive.”